20 arrested for Birbhum killings, forensic team at site of incident

West Bengal Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim visits the area where some miscreants set houses on fire allegedly for avenging the killing of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh in Birbhum district. Pic/PTI

At least 20 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence in West Bengal's Birbhum district that claimed eight lives, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

All eight of them, including two children, were charred to death as nearly a dozen houses were set ablaze in Bogtui village early on Tuesday in a suspected fallout of the murder of a ruling TMC panchayat official.

Eleven people were arrested the same day for their involvement in the incident.

"With nine more arrests, the number of those who have been nabbed in the case rose to 20. We are grilling them to find out if there were more people involved in the incident.

"Some accused seem to have fled the village. We are trying to trace them," the officer said.

He also stated that forensic experts were examining the ravaged houses to get an idea about the "nature of the mishap".

The West Bengal government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director General (CID) Gyanwant Singh, to probe the incident.

The Union home ministry has sought a detailed report on the incident from the state government.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo said that the commission has sent notices to district SP Nagendra Nath Tripathi and DGP Manoj Malaviya to submit a factual report within three days over Birbhum violence in West Bengal.

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